Apparatus and method for presenting fasteners

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting fasteners seriatim at a predetermined position in a predetermined orientation for subsequent transfer or fastening. The invention includes a container for jumbled similar fasteners, reciprocating or other lifting means having an arm extending to a distal end within the container, and passive pickup means on the distal end configured to receive a fastener from among the jumbled fasteners and hold it by cradling as the pickup element moves upwardly through the jumbled fasteners to a position thereabove. The method and apparatus can repetitively present one type of fastener to one position, an array of one type of fastener to several positions, or an array of plural types of fasteners to plural positions.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for presenting fasteners seriatim at a predetermined position in a predetermined orientation comprising: a container for jumbled similar fasteners;   lifting means having an arm extending to a distal end within the container and repeatedly movable in an upward direction relative to the container; and   a pickup element on the distal end which is configured to receive a fastener from among the jumbled fasteners and hold it in said predetermined orientation as the pickup element moves upwardly through the jumbled fasteners within the container to said predetermined position thereabove.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising: the lifting means having a reciprocating carrier and a multiplicity of said arm connected thereto with their distal ends within the container and a multiplicity of said pickup elements, each on one of said distal ends, whereby an array of similar fasteners may be simultaneously presented at predetermined positions each in the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the pickup elements are substantially coplanar, whereby the array is two-dimensional. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the pickup elements are at different levels, whereby the array is three-dimensional. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus of claim 1 for simultaneously presenting an array of various types of fasteners at predetermined positions each in a predetermined orientation comprising: a multiplicity of said containers, each for one of the various types of fasteners;   said lifting means having a reciprocating carrier and a multiplicity of said arms connected thereto, each arm having its distal end within one of the containers; and   a multiplicity of said pickup elements, each on one of said distal ends within one of the containers and configured to receive a fastener from among jumbled fasteners in said one container and hold it in a predetermined orientation as the pickup element moves upwardly through the jumbled fasteners within said one container to a position thereabove.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pickup elements are substantially coplanar, whereby the array is two-dimensional. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pickup elements are at different levels, whereby the array is three-dimensional. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the lifting means comprises reciprocating drive means and a carrier connected thereto in position below the container;   the container has an open-top and has a floor with an opening positioned above the carrier;   the arm is a vertically-oriented rod attached to the carrier and extending through said opening to its said distal end within the container; and   the pickup element is upwardly-facing and is driven up and down by the reciprocating means through a vertical stroke spanning substantially from said container floor to above said container.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 having: a multiplicity of said rods connected to the carrier and extending through a multiplicity of said openings into the container to their distal ends; and a multiplicity of said pickup elements, each on one of said distal ends, whereby an array of similar fasteners may be simultaneously presented at predetermined positions each in the predetermined orientation. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus of claim 8 for simultaneously presenting an array of various types of fasteners at predetermined positions each in a predetermined orientation comprising: multiplicity of said containers above the carrier, each for one of the various types of fasteners;   a multiplicity of said rods and said pickup elements, each rod having its distal end and one of said pickup elements thereon within one of the containers, such pickup element configured to receive a fastener from among jumbled fasteners in said one container and hold it in a predetermined orientation as the pickup element moves upwardly in said vertical stroke.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 1 or 8 wherein the pickup element has a peripheral configuration substantially congruent to the peripheral configuration of said fastener, whereby upward movement of said pickup element and said fastener held thereby through said jumbled fasteners tends to rotationally orient said fastener around the direction of movement to align the corresponding sides of said fastener and said pickup element. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10 further comprising a carriage having a fixed arrangement of fastener-applying tools thereon, said arrangement matching the fastener array, whereby said fasteners can be simultaneously loaded onto the tools, moved by the carriage, and applied by the tools to a pattern of application points matching the fastener array. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 1, 2 or 5 wherein each of said arms has a fastener-applying tool attached thereto, whereby after a fastener is received by the pickup element it is applied by the pickup element directly to its intended application point. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a knock-off member adjacent to and just above said predetermined position, and means to momentarily move said knock-off member laterally to a position directly above the pickup element when it is at said predetermined position, whereby any extra fastener resting above the pickup element may be knocked off and back into the container. 
     
     
       15. Apparatus of claim 14 for simultaneously presenting an array of fasteners comprising: the lifting means having reciprocating drive means and a carrier connected thereto in position below the container;   a multiplicity of said arms, said arms being vertical rods attached to the carrier and together holding an array of said pickup elements;   said knock-off member forming a fixed matching array of void spaces directly above said pickup elements; and   said moving means moving the fixed array of void spaces laterally such that all said extra fasteners are knocked off simultaneously.   
     
     
       16. A method for presenting fasteners seriatim at a predetermined position in a predetermined orientation comprising: passing the end of a rod in an upward direction endwise through a jumbled collection of similar fasteners to the predetermined position above the collection, said rod having a pickup element on its end which is configured to receive one of said fasteners which it encounters during its upward movement through the jumbled collection and cradle it in the predetermined orientation as such movement continues;   removing the fastener from the pickup element;   withdrawing the rod and pickup element downwardly through the jumbled collection; and   repeating the above steps.   
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16 wherein a multiplicity of rods are simultaneously passed through the jumbled collection, whereby an array of similar fasteners are repetitively presented at predetermined positions in predetermined orientations. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 16 wherein there are a multiplicity of collections of jumbled fasteners, each of its own type, and a multiplicity of rods and pickup elements are simultaneously passed through such jumbled collections, each such pickup element configured to receive and hold a fastener from among the fastener collection it contacts, whereby an array of different fasteners may be repetitively presented at predetermined positions each in a predetermined orientation. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 16 wherein said removing step is the direct application of said fastener to its application point by the pickup element. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 16 including the further step of, just prior to the removing step, knocking off any extra fastener which may be resting above the pickup element.